The present invention relates to a dot code suitable for recording and/or reproducing so-called multimedia information including, e.g., audio information such as speech and music information, video information obtained by a camera, a video tape recorder, and the like, and digital code data obtained from a personal computer, a wordprocessor, and the like and an information recording/reproducing system for recording/reproducing the dot code and, more particularly, to recording and/or reproduction of the dot code, which can be optically read, on/from paper, various types of resin films, metal sheets, and the like.
As media for recording speech information, music information, and the like, a magnetic tape, an optical disk, and the like are known.
Even if, however, copies of these media are produced in large quantities, the unit cost of production is relatively high, and storage of such copies requires a large space.
In addition, when a medium on which speech information is recorded needs to be transferred to a person in a remote place, it takes much labor and time to mail or directly take the medium to the person.
Under the circumstances, attempts have been made to record speech information on a paper sheet in the form of image information which can be transmitted in facsimile and allows production of copies in large quantities. As disclosed in, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. fi0-244145, an apparatus for converting speech information into image information by converting some speech information into an optical code, and allowing it to be transmitted in facsimile has been proposed.
In the apparatus disclosed in the above official gazette, a sensor for reading speech information recorded as information which can be optically read is arranged in a facsimile apparatus so that speech can be reproduced in accordance with an output from the sensor. Therefore, speech information transmitted in facsimile, which can be optically read, can only be heard at a place where the facsimile apparatus is installed. That is, it is not assumed that a facsimile output sheet is taken to another place to reproduce sounds.
For this reason, if the recording capacity for speech information is set to be large, facsimile transmission/reception of information other than speech information may be adversely affected. In addition, if the contents of speech information recorded are difficult to be understood, the first part of the speech may be forgotten in the process of reproducing speech information in large quantities. Furthermore, the above apparatus can only transmit speech of a duration of only a few seconds because the recording capacity is limited by the recording density and a compression method. Therefore, a magnetic tape, an optical disk, or the like is indispensable for transmitting a large amount of speech information.
Since the reproducing apparatus itself is incorporated in a facsimile apparatus, it is troublesome to perform repetitive reproduction of speech information even during a short duration. Moreover, an inexpensive, large-capacity recording/reproducing system for all the so-called multimedia information, which includes not only audio information but also, e.g., video information obtained by a camera, a video tape recorder, and the like, digital code data obtained from a personal computer, a wordprocessor, and the like, has not yet been realized.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above point, and has as its object to provide a dot code allowing inexpensive, large capacity recording and repetitive reproduction of multimedia information including audio information, video information, digital code data, and the like, and an information recording/reproducing system for recording/reproducing the dot code.
In order to achieve the above object, an information recording system according to the present invention is characterized by comprising input means for inputting multimedia information including at least one of audio information, video information, and digital code data, conversion means for converting multimedia information input by the input means into a dot code which can be optically read, and recording means for recording the dot code converted by the conversion means on a recording medium such that the dot code can be optically read.
A dot code according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a plurality of blocks, each of the blocks including a data dot pattern obtained by arranging a plurality of dots in accordance with contents of data, a marker having a pattern which cannot be identical to the data dot pattern and arranged to have a first predetermined positional relationship with respect to the data dot pattern, a block address pattern indicating an address of the block arranged to have a second predetermined positional relationship with respect to the marker, and an error detection code pattern arranged for the block address to have a third predetermined positional relationship with respect to the block address pattern.
An information reproducing system according to the present invention is characterized by comprising read means for optically reading a dot code from a recording medium having a portion on which multimedia information including at least one of audio information, video information, and digital code data is recorded as the dot code which can be optically read, restoring means for converting the dot code read by the read means into the original multimedia information, and output means for outputting the multimedia information restored by the restoring means.
In this case, the restoring means includes first memory means for storing the dot code read by the read means, marker detecting means for detecting a marker of each block from the dot code stored in the first memory means, data array direction detecting means for detecting a data array direction from the marker of each block which is detected by the marker detecting means, first address control means for causing the first memory means to output the stored dot code in accordance with the data array direction detected by the data array detecting means, demodulation means for demodulating the dot code output from the first memory means upon binarization, block address detecting means for detecting the block addresses from the demodulated output data from the demodulation means, second address control means for mapping the demodulated output data from the demodulation means in the second memory means in accordance with the block addresses detected by the block address detecting means, and data output means for outputting the demodulated output data mapped in the second memory means.
Alternatively, the restoring means includes first memory means for storing the dot code read by the read means, marker detecting means for detecting a marker of each block from the dot code stored in the first memory means, data array direction detecting means for detecting a data array direction from the marker of each block which is detected by the marker detecting means, block address detecting means for detecting the block addresses in accordance with the data array direction detected by the data array direction detecting means, demodulation means for demodulating the dot code output from the first memory means upon binarization, address control means for mapping the demodulated output data from the demodulation means in second memory means in accordance with the block addresses detected by the block address detecting means, and data output means for outputting the demodulated output data output from the demodulation means and mapped in the second memory means.
That is, according to the information recording system of the present invention, multimedia information including at least one of audio information, video information, and digital code data input through the input means is converted, by the conversion means, into a code which can be optically read, and the code is recorded on a recording medium by the recording means so as to be optically read.
In this case, the dot code is obtained by arranging the plurality of blocks, and each block includes the data dot pattern obtained by arranging the plurality of dots in accordance with the contents of data, the marker having the pattern which cannot be identical to the data dot pattern and arranged to have the first predetermined positional relationship with respect to the data dot pattern, the block address pattern indicating the address of the block arranged to have the second predetermined positional relationship with respect to the marker, and the error detection code pattern arranged for the block address to have the third predetermined positional relationship with respect to the block address pattern. Therefore, the array direction of the data, i.e., a rotation and an inclination, can be detected by connecting the markers of the respective blocks, and correction corresponding to the detection can be easily performed.
In addition, according to the information reproducing system of the present invention, the read means optically reads the dot code from the recording medium having the portion on which the multimedia information including at least one of audio information, video information, and digital code data is recorded as the dot code which can be optically read, the restoring means converts the read dot code into the original multimedia information, and the output means outputs the restored multimedia information.
In this case, the restoring means stores the dot code, read by the read means, in the first memory means, detects, by the marker detecting means, the marker of each block from the stored dot code, detects, by the data array direction detecting means, the data array direction from the detected marker of each block, and outputs, by the first address control means, the dot code stored in the first memory in accordance with the detected data array direction. The restoring means then demodulates, by the demodulation means, the dot code output from the first memory means upon binarization, detects, by the block address detecting means, the block addresses from the demodulated output data, and maps, by the second address control means, the demodulated output data from the demodulation means in the second memory means in accordance with the detected block addresses. Thereafter, the restoring means outputs, by the data output means, the demodulated output data mapped in the second memory means.
Alternatively, the restoring means stores the dot code, read by the read means, in the first memory means, detects, by the marker detecting means, the marker of each block from the stored dot code, and detects, by the data array direction detecting means, the data array direction from the detected marker of each block. The restoring means then detects, by the block address detecting means, the block addresses in accordance with the data array direction detected by the data array direction detecting means. Meanwhile, the restoring means demodulates, by the demodulation means, the dot code output from the first memory means upon binarization, and maps, by the address control means, the demodulated output data from the demodulation means in second memory means in accordance with the block addresses detected by the block address detecting means. Thereafter, the restoring means outputs, by the output means, the demodulated data output from the demodulation means and mapped in the second memory means.